Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Central America's Caribbean - Belize

By Marina K. Villatoro

Wanna know some facts about Belize? It is the smallest of all the Central American countries but don't let that fool you because it has Mayan archaeological sites such as: Caracol, Xunantunich and Lamanai, lots of miles of beautiful white sanded beaches, rain forests filled with wildlife, lots of animal species and a culture with a very noticeable British influence but unique at the same time.

They have an estimated population of only 333,000 in an area twice as big as Jamaica. Here you can find lots of different cultures including Garifunas, Creoles, Europeans and Mayans. There might be a lot of cultures in Belize but all of them have a thing in common: They are warm and friendly people. It is believed that this country's name comes from the native word be'lix, meaning "muddy water", as they referred to the Belize River.

Belizean cuisine is influenced by British, Mexican and Western Caribbean cooking. In this country plantains, rice and coconut milk are ingredients of almost all traditional dishes.

This is the only country in Central America where the official language is English but Spanish and creole are common too. It has a tropical weather with a range of 16 to 30 C year round. This along with national parks and a Barrier Reef, over 1,000 offshore Cayes or islands offers tons of fun things to do such as:

* Fishing close to the reef

* Scuba diving among colorful fishes

* Snorkeling around the coast

* River rafting

* Mangrove kayaking

* Hiking in the rain forest

* Bird watching guided tours

* Discovering Mayan ruins

* Cave tubing

* Cruising tours

And for all for all of those travelers concerned about the environment this is also a place where eco tourism is becoming very popular in this country.

So stop giving it too much thought and come over to this Caribbean Paradise!

About the Author:

No comments:

Post a Comment